Castlevania 1 on the NES is one of those games that feels punishing at first—until you learn its rhythm. You start with a whip, some stairs that somehow feel like an obstacle course, and a bunch of bats that love to dive at the worst possible moment. The music? Absolute bangers, even now.

It’s not just about swinging at everything—you’ve got to time your jumps, memorize enemy patterns, and pray you don’t get knocked into a pit by some random skeleton. The subweapons help (the axe is my go-to), but good luck keeping them when you take a hit. And Dracula’s castle? Yeah, good luck with that final stretch.

It’s old-school hard, but when you finally beat a level you’ve been stuck on, it feels like a real victory. Just don’t throw your controller.